Page 217 of 367

511
Driving your vehicle
Starting the engineStarting the petrol engine (if equipped)
1. Carry the smart key or leave it inside the vehicle.
2. Make sure the parking brake is firmly applied.
3. Manual Transaxle - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
whilst starting the engine.
Automatic Transaxle - Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)position.
4. Press the engine start/stop button.
5. In extremely cold weather (below - 18°C / 0°F) or after the vehicle has not
been operated for several days, let the
engine warm up without depressing
the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, it
should be started without depressing the
accelerator.
Starting the diesel engine (if equipped)
To start the diesel engine when the engine is cold, it has to be pre-heated
before starting the engine and then have
to be warmed up before starting to drive.
1. Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2. Manual Transaxle - Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
whilst pressing the engine start/stop
button to the START position.
Automatic Transaxle - Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when the
shift lever is in the N (Neutral) position.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, ski
boots, sandals, etc.) may interfere
with your ability to use the brakeand accelerator pedals and the
clutch pedal (if equipped).
WARNING
People with medical devices such
as implanted pacemakers or car-
diac defibrillators should not carry
the smart key near the heart. The
smart key system may affect the
operation of such implanted med-
ical devices. Failure to do so may
result in interference with the med-
ical device, which could result in
serious injury.
Page 218 of 367

Driving your vehicle
12
5
3. Press the engine start/stop button
whilst depressing the brake pedal.
4. Continue depressing the brake pedal until the illuminated glow indicator
goes off. (approximately 5 seconds)
5. The engine starts running when the glow indicator goes off.
✽✽
NOTICE
If the engine start/stop button is pressed
once more whilst the engine is pre-heat-
ing, the engine may start.
Precautions for starting and stopping tur-
bocharged engines
1. Do not race or accelerate the engine immediately after starting.
If the engine is cold, idle for several
seconds before sufficient lubrication isensured in the turbocharger unit.
2. After high speed or extended driving, requiring a heavy engine load, idle the
engine about 1 minute before turning it
off.
This idle time will allow the tur- bocharger to cool prior to shutting the
engine off. Even if the smart key is in the vehicle,
if it is far away from you, the engine
may not start.
When the engine start/stop button is in the ACC position or above and a door
is opened, the system checks for the
smart key. If the smart key is not in the
vehicle, the " " indicator will blink or
the warning "Key is not in vehicle" will
illuminate on the LCD display. And if alldoors are closed, the chime will sound
for 5 seconds. The indicator or warning
will turn off whilst the vehicle is moving.
Always have the smart key with you.
WARNING
The engine will start, only when the
smart key is in the vehicle.
Never allow children or any person
who is unfamiliar with the vehicle
touch the engine start/stop button
or related parts.CAUTION
Do not turn the engine off immedi- ately after it has been subjected toa heavy load. Doing so may cause severe damage to the engine or tur-
bocharger unit.
W-60
Glow indicator light
Page 219 of 367

513
Driving your vehicle
✽✽
NOTICE
If the battery is weak or the smart key does not work correctly, you can start
the engine by pressing the engine
start/stop button with the smart key.
When the stop lamp fuse is blown, you
can't start the engine normally.
Replace the fuse with a new one. If it
is not possible, you can start the
engine by pressing the engine start/
stop button for 10 seconds whilst it is
in the ACC position. The engine can
start without depressing the brake
pedal. But for your safety always
depress the brake pedal before start-
ing the engine.
CAUTION
Do not press the engine start/stop
button for more than 10 seconds
except when the stop lamp fuse is blown.
CAUTION
If the engine stalls whilst the vehi-cle is in motion, do not attempt to
move the shift lever to the P (Park)position. If the traffic and road con-ditions permit, you may put the shift lever in the N (Neutral) position
whilst the vehicle is still movingand press the engine start/stop but-ton in an attempt to restart the
engine.
ORBI051007
Page 220 of 367

Driving your vehicle
14
5
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 5 (or 6*) for-
ward gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized
in all forward gears so shifting to either a
higher or a lower gear is easily accom-plished.
Press the clutch pedal down fully whilst
shifting, then release it slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an igni-
tion key lock switch, the engine will not
start without depressing the clutch pedal,(if equipped).
The gearshift lever must be returned to
the neutral position before shifting into R
(Reverse). Push the button located
immediately below the shift knob and pull
the gearshift lever to the left sufficiently,
and then shift into the reverse (R) gearposition.
Make sure the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped before shifting into R (Reverse).
Never operate the engine with thetachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
* if equipped
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
CAUTION
When downshifting from fifth
gear to fourth gear, caution
should be taken not to inadver- tently press the gear shift leversideways in such a manner thatsecond gear is engaged. Such a
drastic downshift may cause theengine speed to increase to the point that the tachometer will
enter the red-zone. Such over- revving of the engine may possi-bly cause engine damage.
Do not downshift more than 2 gears at a time or downshift a
gear when the engine is runningat a high speed (5,000 RPM or higher). Such a downshift maydamage the engine.
ORB050001
The button (1) must be pulled up whilst
moving the shift lever.
The shift lever can be moved without
pulling the button (1).
Page 221 of 367

515
Driving your vehicle
During cold weather, shifting may bedifficult until the transaxle lubricant is
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and it's hard to shift into 1st or R(Reverse),
leave the shift lever at N(Neutral) posi-
tion and release the clutch. Press the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R(Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be pressed all the way
to the floor before shifting, then released
slowly. The clutch pedal should always be
fully released whilst driving. Do not rest
your foot on the clutch pedal whilst driv-
ing. This can cause unnecessary wear.
Do not partially engage the clutch to hold
the vehicle on an incline. This causes
unnecessary wear. Use the foot brake or
parking brake to hold the vehicle on an
incline. Do not operate the clutch pedal
rapidly and repeatedly.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch pedal. Also, don’t use the clutchto hold the vehicle stopped on anuphill grade, whilst waiting for a
traffic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a handrest during driving, as thiscan result in premature wear ofthe transaxle shift forks.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Thenmake sure the transaxle is shifted
into 1st gear when the vehicle is
parked on a level or uphill grade,
and shifted into R (Reverse) on a
downhill grade. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement canoccur if these precautions are not
followed in the order identified.
If your vehicle has a manual transaxle not equipped with a
ignition lock switch, it may moveand cause a serious accident
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedalwhilst the parking brake is
released and the shift lever not inthe N(Neutral) position.
CAUTION
When operating the clutch pedal,
press the clutch pedal down fully. Ifyou don’t press the clutch pedal fully, the clutch may be damaged or
noise may occur.
Page 222 of 367

Driving your vehicle
16
5
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traf-
fic or whilst driving up steep hills, down-
shift before the engine starts to labour.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration
when you again need to increase your
speed. When the vehicle is travelling
down steep hills, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life. Good driving practices
Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
hazardous. Always leave the vehicle in
gear.
Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause them to overheat and malfunction.
Instead, when you are driving down a
long hill, shift to a lower gear. When
you do this, engine braking will help
slow down the vehicle.
Slow down before shifting to a lower gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
Slow down when you encounter cross winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
Be sure the vehicle is completely stopped before you attempt to shift into
reverse. The transaxle can be dam-
aged if you do not. To shift into reverse,
depress the clutch, move the shift lever
to neutral, wait three seconds, then
shift to the reverse position.
Exercise extreme caution when driving on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and the vehicle to go out of control.WARNING
Always buckle-up! In a collision, an unbelted occupant is signifi-
cantly more likely to be seriously
injured or killed than a properlybelted occupant.
Avoid high speeds when corner- ing or turning.
Do not make quick steering wheel movements, such as sharp
lane changes or fast, sharp turns.
The risk of rollover is greatly increased if you lose control of
your vehicle at highway speeds.
Loss of control often occurs if two or more wheels drop off the
roadway and the driver over-
steers to re-enter the roadway.
In the event your vehicle leaves the roadway, do not steer sharply.
Instead, slow down before pulling
back into the travel lanes.
Never exceed posted speed lim- its.
Page 223 of 367
517
Driving your vehicle
Automatic transaxle operation
The automatic transaxle has 4 forward
gears and one reverse gear. The individ-
ual gears are selected automatically,depending on the position of the shift
lever.
✽✽NOTICE
The first few shifts on a vehicle, if the
battery has been disconnected, may be
somewhat abrupt. This is a normal con-
dition, and the shifting sequence will
adjust after shifts are cycled a few times
by the TCM (Transaxle Control
Module) or PCM (Powertrain Control
Module).
AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
ORB050004R
+ (UP)
- (DOWN)
The selector lever can be shifted freely.
Depress the brake pedal when shifting.
(If your vehicle is installed with a shift lock system)
Page 224 of 367

Driving your vehicle
18
5
For smooth operation, depress the brake
pedal when shifting from N (Neutral) to aforward or reverse gear.Transaxle ranges
The indicator in the instrument cluster
displays the shift lever position when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop before
shifting into P (Park). This position locks
the transaxle and prevents the drivewheels from rotating.
WARNING - Automatic
transaxle
Always check the surrounding areas near your vehicle for peo-
ple, especially children, beforeshifting a car into D (Drive) or R
(Reverse).
Before leaving the driver’s seat, always make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position; then
set the parking brake fully and
shut the engine off. Unexpected
and sudden vehicle movementcan occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order iden-tified.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate the
engine in R (Reverse) or any for-ward gear position with thebrakes on.
When stopped on an incline, do not hold the vehicle stationarywith engine power. Use the serv-ice brake or the parking brake.
Do not shift from N (Neutral) or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine isabove idle speed.
WARNING
Shifting into P (Park) whilst the vehicle is in motion will cause the
drive wheels to lock which will
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
Do not use the P (Park) position in place of the parking brake.
Always make sure the shift lever
is latched in the P (Park) position
and set the parking brake fully.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.